Springsteen and Us

Bruce and the E Street Band went XL, this time checking in at the XL Center in Hartford, and  - insert shocked face emoticon here - the E Streeters' extended family was on hand to cheer them on.  More than a dozen strong, in fact.

This was to be an extra special night, though, as Jack made her return to the concert scene.  That meant Andrew and I needed to be on top of our dancing game for this one.

Couple of facts in the life of Jack, myself, and Bruce:

Saw him the night before we got married at the Worcester Centrum.  Yep, Little Girl I Wanna Marry You happened just  a dozen hours after seeing the Boss on stage.

Flash forward four years, and Jackie was just days away from bringing Heather into the world and Bruce was playing in Lowell.  Jack, super partner that she is, held off on going into labor for another four days so I could see the Boss in my hometown (and get to meet him in person, to boot!)

What can I say?  It's love.

A good number of our gang connected pre-show for the group shot

Inside, we were all smiles.

Note the woman to Jimmy's right - more on her later

At the age of 66, a crowd-surfing Bruce is still a sight to behold

It's a brave man who wades into a crowd like that, but the faithful E Streeters in the crowd are just excited to have the Boss up close and personal

Andrew brought his official River shades back into play for this outing

Loves me this woman

Across the arena, John and Barry, and Scott, Sue, Courtney, and Colin Spence, and elsewhere, Mike O'Connell were all rocking their respective sections.

Ditto for John's friend, Scott, who made the trek from Jersey to join us in Hartford

Which brings us to Theresa Martin.

Who's that you ask?

She's a member of E Street nation, hailing from Rhode Island.

She's seen Bruce now 68 times!

This night, she found herself sitting next to Jimmy, and striking up a conversation about all things Bruce from throughout the last 30 years or so.

But one of Theresa's claims to fame?

She's one of the featured fans in the documentary Springsteen and I.  She's the fan in her kitchen whose son steals the scene when he crashes her video love letter to Bruce. (Her son was a couple of seats away at Hartford.)

Say hi to everyone, Theresa!

She brought a lot of fun and energy to our section, and was a true fan, especially enjoying some of the deep cuts off the River album.

Things got especially crazy during Rosalita.

It wouldn't be a Bruce show without a father-son duo rocking the joint 

 

Why she puts up with me, I'll never know 

You've just seen the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra taking, love-making, legendary E STREET BAND! 

Say goodnight, Andrew. 

Another Bruce show, another night of great memories for the books.  Scanning through past years of blog posts, there's been a lot of said concerts logged here at Wicked Good.

I've watched Andrew grow up through the evolution of shows he's attended.  Experiencing his 19 shows with him has been an unexpected highlight and benefit of parenting. (Heather was going to join us too for the Hartford show, but damn college got in the way!)

There's been a stalwart and extensive Band of Brothers who've been enjoying the shows together, and travelling the country to see this group of musicians.   Bruce has helped introduce us to friends in other states, and friends in other countries.

There's been lots of laughs, and unfortunately, some tears shed during the journey, which for me, started with my first show back in 1980.  Ask any member of the E Streeters, and sure enough, Springsteen has helped write the soundtrack of our lives.

It's made even more special to have loved ones alongside for the voyage, because as Bruce is so fond of saying, his songs are all about life, love, friends and family.

So here's to all the friends and loved ones who've been part of this journey.

Here's to Springsteen and Us.